


Fill in the Blank Space: Will You __?

by chanwooya (sinoshi)



Category: NU'EST, Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: 5 Times, Attempt at Humor, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Not Serious, chaebol, i dont have a sense of humor, lots of characters appear in this tbh but theyre like barely mentioned, nayoung and jonghyun are hilarious in this but dont trust me, they're all rich 2nd generation chaebols in their 20s bcs why not, this is terrible i apologize
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-02-29 10:56:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18776872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinoshi/pseuds/chanwooya
Summary: “Maybe you should just marry me, Nayoung, I’m too old for this shit,” Jonghyun sighs dramatically, sitting down at his desk and starting up his computer.Nayoung looks at him, unamused, as she hands him his coffee. “Sir, you’re gay.”(4 + 1 times Jonghyun tries to propose to Minhyun)





	Fill in the Blank Space: Will You __?

**Author's Note:**

> hey folks. this is my.... nuest fic debut??? (amazing) (if youre here expecting an ikon fic from me: stay tuned???)
> 
> i would just like to say, just like any of my other fics, i wrote this totally caffeine drunk at like 2AM lol. also, we are here celebrating nuest's first (and second!) win as 5 members in their 8 year career!!!
> 
> anyways, i had a lot of fun writing this and seeing where it went so i hope you enjoyed this. in this fic theyre all like super rich 2nd gen chaebols in their mid 20s LOL. dont question anything bcs this is totally not a serious fic. i cant write lol. enjoy?

1.

 

In Jonghyun’s mind, proposing to Minhyun had seemed like an easy task. He goes down on one knee, pulls out the ring, preferably make a touching speech about how he’s loved Minhyun since they first met, ask the question: “will you marry me?”, Minhyun either say “yes” or “no”, and that’s it. That’s the proposal. Whatever happens next, happens. Right? He just needs to find a perfect ring and find a perfect time to pop the question.

 

He’d initially thought finding the ring would be the hard part—Minhyun is picky about his fashion, and will definitely say something if Jonghyun doesn’t pick the perfect ring—and then the moment to ask will just come naturally. He’s heard a lot of proposal stories, asked a bunch of people, even asked Minhyun’s parents about their own experience when he asked for their permission to propose. So he’s taking it slow. They’ve been together since university, and it’s been 7 years since they were idiotic 18 year olds who knew nothing about the real world, so marriage probably won’t change their dynamic too much. They’ve lived together for as long as they’ve known each other, so Jonghyun figures one of his biggest difficulties would be hiding the ring in their apartment.

 

He goes ring hunting with Minki (because he works in the fashion industry, Jonghyun reasons, but he ignores all of Minki’s opinions anyways once they’re at the shop) and orders a custom made one—a simple band, engraved, with a small diamond on top. Nothing too crazy. Minhyun probably won’t even wear it often, anyways. His obsession with cleaning (Jonghyun still firmly believes he has mild OCD, but Minhyun insists it’s just a hobby) keeps him from wearing accessories often. He wears them for special occasions, but otherwise, he likes to keep his hands empty.

 

And then the problem—where does Jonghyun hide the ring? Minhyun will  _ definitely _ find it. When he cleans, he  _ cleans _ . He takes everything out from its place, wipes it down, wipes the stuff he’s just taken out, and then rearranges everything back. He deep cleans the house any chance he gets—Jonghyun is pretty sure he’s allergic to dust now as a result. Minhyun sorts the laundry and rearranges their clothes by color, so he will find it if Jonghyun hides it in his clothes drawer or even in the clothes itself.

 

He hides it in the drawer in his office. The apartment is not a safe place to hide anything, he decides.

 

Now, the proposal plan. Dongho and Minki went for a simple, cliché proposal. Dongho rented out a whole hotel rooftop restaurant, they had a candlelit dinner and some nice music—courtesy of Jonghyun’s little idol babies that Dongho cheaply paid with some food (Yoo Seonho’s “food”, however, is not cheap, but Dongho has a soft spot for him)—and Dongho sang to Minki and proposed to him. Seonho recalled this story excitedly to Jonghyun: Dongho sang something he wrote for Minki, even played the piano himself, and then he said some long speech about his love towards Minki (at this point, Seonho says, Daehwi had started sobbing), got down on one knee, and proposed. Minki said yes. Everyone goes home happy (Daehwi couldn’t stop crying, Seonho said).

 

Jonghyun’s a simple man. So he decides to follow the same, cliché template: he rents out Minhyun’s favorite restaurant, and tells Seonho and Daehwi to prepare a slow song Minhyun might like. He can’t sing or play the piano like Dongho, so he doesn’t have any “hidden weapon” to pull out.

 

And then, the day comes. He’d asked his secretary, Nayoung, to tell Minhyun to come to the restaurant first because he had a “meeting”—when in fact, he’s buying time so his entrance will be more... Grand. Daehwi and Seonho had gone first and waited at the restaurant, and this is where it all goes wrong, Jonghyun thinks.

 

Minhyun had gotten there, seen the empty restaurant and seen Daehwi and Seonho playing around at the piano, and assumed: maybe Daehwi and Seonho have an achievement to celebrate. They’re both close to Minhyun, so maybe Jonghyun wanted to spoil them a little, let them celebrate privately with just their favorite people: Jonghyun and Minhyun.

 

So when Jonghyun got there, Daehwi and Seonho are sat at the table with Minhyun, beaming at Jonghyun.

 

“Jonghyun! You’re finally here!” Minhyun says, smiling that angelic smile of his. No matter how many times Jonghyun sees it, his heart always skips a beat. He smiles back.

 

“Hey,” Jonghyun sits down, a little awkward. He looks over at Daehwi and Seonho, and they both look back at him, smiling innocently.

 

“What’s the occasion? I asked these rascals but they wouldn’t tell me. Said it was a secret?” Minhyun raises his eyebrows, picking up the glass of water in front of him. “What are we celebrating?”

 

“Oh,” Jonghyun tilts his head, a little confused. He doesn’t know what to say—it’s not like he can just say that he’s... Going to propose to Minhyun. Not now, anyways. “Uh, nothing? I just wanted dinner with you.”

 

“And these kids? Oh, please, I know you, Kim Jonghyun—there  _ has _ to be a special occasion! Come on, tell me!” Minhyun whines adorably, and Jonghyun feels his face heat up.

 

“Uh, nothing? We’re just having dinner,” Jonghyun says, glaring at Daehwi and Seonho.

 

“Oh, I see,” Minhyun nods in understanding. “So they just wanted to tag along?”

 

Minhyun laughs, and Jonghyun sighs. This is already going terribly, and Daehwi and Seonho are doing absolutely nothing to help him. The two of them are just sitting there calmly, grinning like the little shits that they are.

 

“Can we eat now? I’ll play the piano for you guys later if we can eat now!” Seonho says. Jonghyun sighs in relief—seems like Seonho is making an effort to salvage the situation.

 

“Yeah, and I’ll sing! Let’s eat!” Daehwi pouts adorably, and Minhyun laughs, pinching his cheeks.

 

“Yes, of course, let’s order,” Minhyun says sweetly. Jonghyun can imagine him and Minhyun like this, 10, maybe 15 years from now, with their own kid, going out to dinner like this, and Minhyun talking to their kid softly and looking at them like they’re the whole world.

 

Jonghyun smiles at Minhyun.

 

“What?” Minhyun asks once he notices Jonghyun staring. “Is there something on my face?”

 

“No,” Jonghyun shakes his head, smiling. “Just looking at you.”

 

***

 

2.

 

It’s a disaster, in Jonghyun’s head. In reality, it wasn’t really a bad dinner. Seonho and Daehwi did go up and play the piano and sing like they had planned to, but Jonghyun lost the timing and in the end, he couldn’t say anything. At all. Minhyun enjoyed the performance and kept chatting and the atmosphere just didn’t feel like... A proposing atmosphere. Which is weird. Jonghyun didn’t really believe in ‘perfect timing’ until then—he thought he’d just get down on one knee sometime in the middle of the song, say “Minhyun, will you marry me?”, and call it a day. But no. The term ‘perfect timing’ exists for a reason.

 

When they were dropping off Daehwi and Seonho at their dorm, the two had given Jonghyun a look that says “what the fuck, man?” before heading inside and disappearing into their apartment building. Jonghyun had sighed.

 

“What’s wrong?” Minhyun asked. “You tired? I heard from Nayoung that you were late because you had a meeting get pushed back.”

 

A lie. But Jonghyun nods anyways.

 

“Yeah, a little. Those kids have so much energy, right?” Jonghyun laughs, pointing at the direction of the apartment building. Minhyun smiles.

 

“Yeah. They’re wonderful, though. I’m so glad you raised them well, Jonghyun-ah,” Minhyun continues to smile that perfectly angelic smile of his, and Jonghyun laughs a little, nervous.

 

This is it, his mind thinks. This might be the perfect timing he’s been waiting for. He takes a deep breath, and counts to 3. Looks Minhyun in the eyes. He’s still smiling—he’s so perfect. So, damn perfect. The weight of the box in his pocket feels heavier than it really is, and he fiddles with it.

 

“Minhyun, can I... Ask you something?” Jonghyun starts. This is it. This might not be the ideal, totally cliché proposal Jonghyun was thinking of, but fuck it—he’s learned the importance of timing. It’s happening tonight.

 

“Sure,” Minhyun nods. Jonghyun opens his mouth again.

 

“Minhyun, will you—“

 

And Minhyun’s phone rings, loud and clear. They both startle and jump a little, before Minhyun reaches in his pocket, mumbling sorry, and looking at the caller ID.

 

“Shit, it’s Jisung hyung. This might be important—sorry, let me take this real quick,” Minhyun picks it up, taking off his seatbelt and saying “hello?” before stepping out of the car.

 

The silence in the car is deafening, so Jonghyun turns on the radio.

 

Fuck Yoon Jisung.

 

Minhyun steps back in the car a few minutes later, closing the door softly behind him, and looks back at Jonghyun, who’s looking down at his hands.

 

“What did you want to ask me?” Minhyun asks, putting his seatbelt back on. Jonghyun looks up, and shakes his head.

 

“Nothing, it wasn’t that important. What did Jisung hyung want?”

 

“Oh, it wasn’t him,” Minhyun says, an odd look on his face. “I think he’s out drinking with Sungwoon and Seongwoo again. It was Seongwoo. He asked if I wanted to join them, but I said no. I’m looking forward to watching some Game of Thrones tonight.”

 

Minhyun beams at him, and Jonghyun smiles back, nodding.

 

So fuck Ong Seongwoo and his terrible timing, then. Jonghyun’s definitely going to kick his ass for this—even if Seongwoo doesn’t know why he’s getting an ass-kicking.

 

***

 

3.

 

”What’s my schedule today, Nayoung?” Jonghyun walks in his office, Nayoung behind him with her litte note and her blank face. Jonghyun sometimes wonders if she’s a robot, but other times, he wonders if Nayoung just hates men—she always smiles around the girls.

 

“Howon Group’s CEO Kang Dongho wants to know how ‘the other night’ went, whatever that means,” Nayoung says as Jonghyun sits down at his desk, putting his coffee on the little coaster Minhyun insists he keeps on his desk.

 

Jonghyun rolls his eyes. Kang Dongho... That asshole. Nayoung’s totally going to think weird things about him now.

 

“I’ll... Send him a text. Just ignore him,” Jonghyun quickly says. Why did he even have to ask him through Nayoung? He’s 100% doing this on purpose.

 

“Haengwoon Entertainment’s CEO Jung Sewoon has asked for a 2PM meeting to discuss the, uh... He didn’t specify, but his new secretary Gwanghyun sounds like a 12 year old on the phone, so he probably just forgot to mention what it’s for,” Nayoung scoffs. Sewoon’s always been a little peculiar, so he wouldn’t be surprised if Sewoon intentionally didn’t tell him what the meeting’s about.

 

“Yeah, just tell him to come or whatever,” Jonghyun says, massaging his temple. “Anything else?”

 

“Brand New Music’s CEO Lim Youngmin wants to meet you,” Nayoung says, looking Jonghyun dead in the eyes. “Right now. He’s already in the building.”

 

“Fine,” Jonghyun groans. “Tell him I’m putting on lipstick. 5 minutes.”

 

“O... Kay,” Nayoung raises an eyebrow at Jonghyun. “He’s in meeting room 301. I’ll tell him you’re having a midlife crisis right now.”

 

—

 

Youngmin smiles mischievously as soon as Jonghyun steps in the meeting room. It’s just the 2 of them, so Jonghyun immediately thinks: this can’t be good. The last time he and Youngmin sat in a meeting room together, just the 2 of them, they had a 4 hour long argument about the project unit they were trying to launch—Daehwi and Woojin. It was all fine in the end, but Jonghyun does not enjoy arguing, so it was 4 full hours of hell for him.

 

“A little birdie told me you tried to propose to Minhyun, and it didn’t work out well, so,” Youngmin takes out something from his pocket. “I brought The Gear.”

 

‘The Gear’ is a stupid, purple and yellow polkadot tie that Jonghyun’s friend circle in university had bought as a joke. They were all really drunk, and Minki—that drama queen—had recently watched The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and wanted something similar for them. So Jonghyun, Minki, Youngmin, Dongho, and Kenta went online and found this ridiculous tie.

 

Jonghyun is surprised to see that Youngmin has it—Kenta had it last because he had some important exams to grade, or something.

 

“Why do you have it with you? I thought Kenta had it,” Jonghyun asks. Youngmin shrugs.

 

“I had to get a new secretary. My last one quit,” Youngmin points outside the door. “Did you see him? His name is Woong.”

 

“Okay,” Jonghyun nods. “And I assume the little birdie is Daehwi.”

 

Youngmin nods, grinning. “Yeah, man! You know, maybe it would have been better if it was just a quiet, private, home-cooked dinner with the two of you. Nobody else but you and Minhyun. Don’t you think it’d be easier to get the mood right, then?”

 

Jonghyun stops fiddling with his shirt. Youngmin has a point—when it was just the two of them, he’d found the timing, if it weren’t for Minhyun’s damn phone. He could cook something, pop open a bottle of non-alcohol champagne (Minhyun can’t drink), and he’d pop the question then. It sounds simple. It sounds  _ perfect _ .

 

“You  _ know _ the dramatic, cliché stuff only worked because it’s Dongho and Minki. They’re idiots,” Youngmin says, shaking his head.

 

After Youngmin leaves, Jonghyun goes back to his office. He spots Nayoung staring at the bread on her desk, and approaches her.

 

“Nayoung, my favorite secretary,” Jonghyun says, smiling sweetly at Nayoung. Nayoung looks at him, still with that flat, expresionless expression on her face. He doesn’t know how to describe it—3 years of working with her and he still can’t read her sometimes.

 

“Sir, I’m your only secretary,” Nayoung deadpans.

 

“Can I ask you something?”

 

Nayoung raises an eyebrow as if to say, “does it look like I can say no to you? You’re my boss.”

 

“Uh, right,” Jonghyun licks his lips, feeling nervous under her judging stare. “Do you... Know how to cook?”

 

Nayoung squints a little. It looks like she’s thinking. Jonghyun has zero idea.

 

“Depends on what it is,” Nayoung answers. “But I can follow a recipe.”

 

Jonghyun nods. “Great! Do you think you can recommend me something simple that I can cook at home?”

 

Nayoung looks at him strangely, like he’s an alien, but nods anyways.

 

“Yeah? I mean... Something like kimchi jjigae should be simple enough,” Nayoung mumbles, picking up her pen and note. “I’ll give you a recipe to follow.”

 

“That would be amazing,” Jonghyun grins. “Oh, I can’t thank you enough, Nayoung.”

 

Nayoung scoffs. “If you don’t mind me asking, Sir, what is this for?”

 

Jonghyun figures there’s no harm in telling her. Nayoung keeps her mouth firmly shut. The other employees say she lives up to her job title of  _ secret _ ary, which is a terrible pun, but Jonghyun is glad Nayoung knows how to keep secrets.

 

“I’m... Trying to propose to Minhyun. I tried to, when we went for dinner the other day, and I just... Lost the timing? The mood? I don’t know, I thought it was just a weird time to ask and stuff,” Jonghyun shrugs. “So, you know, maybe a more private setting without Daehwi and Seonho distracting us will help.”

 

Nayoung nods. “Right... I hope you have fun, Sir.”

 

Jonghyun looks at her, a little confused, but nods and says thanks anyways.

 

He never has an idea what Nayoung is thinking. He wonders if she thinks he’s an idiot for believing in ‘the perfect timing’.

 

—

 

Jonghyun decides on a quiet Thursday night to carry out his plan. Minhyun will be home a little late—Hwangje Group is having a meeting to plan their 40th anniversary party. Jonghyun opens up the email from Nayoung with the kimchi jjigae recipe.

 

It looks simple enough. He’d gotten the appropriate ingredients as soon as he got off work. He’d done a practice round last week when Minhyun had to travel to Busan for a business trip. He’s got this down. It’s going to go great.

 

He’s halfway through the recipe when he hears the door being unlocked with the familiar beeps of the password being punched in. He hears Minhyun’s voice, and not long after that, Minhyun enters the kitchen...

 

With Bae Jinyoung.

 

“Jinyoung?” Jonghyun is a little surprised. Bae Jinyoung is a shy intern in Minhyun’s company. Jonghyun has no idea how Minhyun even met Jinyoung, since he’s an intern in the accounting department and Minhyun’s the CEO, but they somehow met and Minhyun’s had a soft spot for the kid ever since. He has the tiniest face Jonghyun has ever seen, and the smallest voice Jonghyun has ever heard.

 

Jinyoung smiles at Jonghyun, sweet and disarming. Jonghyun’s heart melts. Minhyun pushes him gently towards the dining table.

 

Jinyoung sits quietly at the dining table. Minhyun goes to stand next to Jonghyun, and gives him a peck on the lips.

 

“Hey,” Minhyun smiles. “I hope you don’t mind that I invited Jinyoung here. He just broke up with his boyfriend, so he’s... A little upset.”

 

They both look back to see Jinyoung staring at the table napkin like it’s something interesting.

 

“Okay. A lot upset, but I hope you don’t mind,” Minhyun sheepishly says, and Jonghyun can only nod. He can’t turn away someone going through a tough time. That would be cruel.

 

“It’s fine. I hope he’s okay, though,” Jonghyun scrunches his face, concerned.

 

“He’s... Going to be. I figured, you know, he shouldn’t be alone right now. The guy broke up with him over lunch, so it’s still a little fresh.”

 

“Oh, wow,” Jonghyun sighs. Jinyoung does look a little down, so Jonghyun shoos Minhyun away to accompany him.

 

He’ll have to push back the plan for now. How can he propose to Minhyun in front of someone who  _ just _ got dumped?

 

***

 

4.

 

“How was... Dinner, Sir?” Nayoung starts as soon as she spots Jonghyun in front of his office door the next morning.

 

“Nayoung, are you married?” Jonghyun turns around to look at her, and Nayoung maintains her flat expression as she stands up from her seat, holding Jonghyun’s coffee in one hand and her note in the other.

 

“Sir, you were at my wedding 2 years ago.“

 

“Maybe you should just marry me, Nayoung, I’m too old for this shit,” Jonghyun sighs dramatically, sitting down at his desk and starting up his computer.

 

Nayoung looks at him, unamused, as she hands him his coffee. “Sir, you’re gay.”

 

“I just don’t understand—three times, Nayoung! Three times I tried to propose to him!” Jonghyun huffs.

 

“Do you want me to read you your schedule or not, Sir.”

 

“I’m running out of ideas. I can’t take it anymore, I’m going crazy from all the waiting. I’m scared he’s going to find out I’m trying to propose, it’s supposed to be a surprise! Right?”

 

“Sir,” Nayoung sighs. “Just... Ask him. It doesn’t have to be at like, some special thing, you don’t have to make a big event and wait for it. I proposed to my wife while we were watching a Marvel movie. She cried. We got kicked out of the theater and possibly banned for life, but hey! She said yes, that’s all that matters. I don’t know why you’re giving yourself so much stress over... A proposal. Why don’t you ask him over lunch today? You do the Friday lunch thing every week, so it’ll probably be less nerve-wrecking for you.”

 

Jonghyun looks at Nayoung, a little surprised. She still has that flat expression. He has no idea what she’s thinking, but he’s thankful for her suggestion.

 

“Thanks, Nayoung,” Jonghyun sighs, before giving her a smile. “I’ll try and ask him later, at lunch. Your suggestion means a lot to me, you’re like... The most put-together person I know.”

 

“Your schedule,” Nayoung immediately says, flipping through her notes. Jonghyun doesn’t miss the blush on her face.

 

He should thank her more often.

 

—

 

Lunch comes around and Minhyun is there, smiling that stupid, adorable smile of his. Jonghyun feels like he just ran a marathon. The light in the cafe doesn’t help—he looks ethereal. The suit, the watch, his pose... How did Jonghyun get so lucky?

 

“Hey,” Minhyun greets as Jonghyun sits down. “I missed you.”

 

“Minhyun,” Jonghyun laughs. “We were together this morning. You dropped me off at the office.”

 

Minhyun shrugs. “Still. I missed you.”

 

Jonghyun smiles. “Me too. I missed you. Anyways, have you ordered?”

 

“I was waiting for you,” Minhyun flags down a waiter before looking at the menu. “You wanna just go for the usual?”

 

“Yeah,” Jonghyun nods. ‘The usual’ is just a brunch dish, a toast with some eggs and salad. They both don’t really like it, but it’s their usual because it was the only thing they could afford at this pretentious, expensive cafe when they were broke university students who wanted to go on a cute, cafe date.

 

Lunch goes great. Jonghyun hates the pretentious music they play, but he figures it fits the cafe’s theme. Nayoung’s right—he doesn’t think about the proposal and the whole lunch felt just like usual, until Minhyun is finishing his coffee and Jonghyun reaches for his phone in his pocket and feels the velvet box.

 

‘Just go for it’, he thinks. Nayoung says to forget about the timing (like he had initially planned to do before the very first proposal) and just ask—make it seem like it’s no big deal—but he also...

 

Feels the stare of a thousand people on him. The cafe is packed because it’s lunch, and so he doesn’t think he can put that kind of spotlight on the two of them if he asks Minhyun right now. Even if he doesn’t go down on one knee and just asks, well... He doesn’t know how Minhyun will respond. He  _ needs _ the private space. Suddenly, he feels nervous. He takes out his phone from his pocket and decides to forget about the proposal for now.

 

Maybe later. When they’re at home. Alone.

 

***

 

5.

 

Lim Nayoung

20:07 PM

I didn’t want to ask you at the office, but how was the lunch? Did you ask?

 

Jonghyun sighs at the text. He didn’t. He chickened out. He didn’t want to tell Nayoung, and it seemed like she wasn’t interested (maybe it’s just her face, Jonghyun thinks, since she’s texting him now) so he kept quiet for the rest of the day.

 

Kim Jonghyun

20:08 PM

No. I got nervous. I got scared that people were going to stare at us. I don’t know anymore, Nayoung. How do you propose to someone?

 

“Hey, what’s with the serious face? Something wrong?” Minhyun sits on the bed, next to Jonghyun, smelling like the rose bath oil he really likes. Jonghyun takes a deep breath and sighs. Minhyun always smells really nice—like flowers—so he finds Minhyun’s smell to be calming. He’s tried some of Minhyun’s perfume before, to see if it’d smell just as good on him as it does on Minhyun, but it doesn’t feel quite the same. He prefers it on Minhyun.

 

“Nothing,” Jonghyun locks his phone and puts it away, looking at Minhyun. “It’s just Nayoung.”

 

“Ooh, that’s interesting. She doesn’t usually text you,” Minhyun adjusts the pillow on his back and picks up the book on the bedside table, flipping to the page he last read.

 

“Yeah. I should send her some flowers. I feel like I don’t appreciate her help enough,” Jonghyun stretches, before picking up the remote and turning on the TV.

 

Minhyun hums in agreement. Even just a short “hmm” sounds melodic to Jonghyun.

 

They sit like that for a while—in comfortable silence, doing their own thing. Jonghyun and his variety show. Minhyun and his book. Jonghyun had bought it for him because it seemed like he’d enjoy it, after hearing from Seungcheol about it. Minhyun enjoys a lot of hobbies, but Jonghyun thinks reading is his most adorable one. Minhyun has this concentrated face whenever he reads, and sometimes his lips get pouty. He stares at Minhyun like that, for a while, until his phone buzzes again.

 

Lim Nayoung

20:19 PM

Why don’t you ask him now? You’re both at home. There’s no one. Just ask. You don’t have to get down on one knee or anything—just ask him like you’re asking if he had a nice day or something.

 

Jonghyun’s heart beats a little faster at the thought of doing it  _ now _ . So maybe he  _ is _ a little nervous about proposing.

 

“What’s wrong?” Minhyun asks again, seemingly able to sense that Jonghyun is distressed right now. He quickly puts his phone away and shakes his head.

 

“It’s nothing.”

 

Minhyun looks at him strangely. “Are you keeping secrets from me, Jonghyun?”

 

Jonghyun gulps. Yes. Definitely. Though this secret isn’t anything bad, he gets nervous. He knows Minhyun never really gets angry about anything—just a little bit upset—but the thought of making him upset because he thought Jonghyun’s keeping secrets from him...

 

Not good. So maybe Jonghyun is a lot nervous. Many nervous. Much nervous.

 

His palms feel sweaty.

 

“Minhyun...”

 

Minhyun raises an eyebrow, putting his book away. “Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been very strange lately. Did I do something? Are you sick?”

 

“No,” Jonghyun shakes his head. “Just... Can I ask you something?”

 

Minhyun nods. “Go ahead.”

 

“I’ve been trying to ask you these past few... Weeks. But I just—everytime I look at you, I really want to make it perfect. Like... You don’t deserve a half-assed proposal—“

 

“You’re proposing to me?” Minhyun asks, but he sounds calm, like he usually is. Jonghyun keeps going and ignores his question.

 

“So I’ve been setting up so many scenarios, and I even tried during random moments, but I chickened out all 4 times.”

 

“You tried to ask me 4 times?” Minhyun smiles softly. Jonghyun nods.

 

“I don’t know. This is stupid, right? I didn’t believe in ‘perfect timing’. But then that dinner with Daehwi and Seonho—“

 

“You were going to propose then?”

 

“Went horribly for me. Yeah, well, I tried. But the mood changed and I just didn’t feel like getting down on one knee and popping the question because Daehwi and Seonho prepared a nice performance, and you looked like you enjoyed it. I didn’t want to pop that bubble. And then after we dropped them off at their dorm, I tried again. But you got a call, and I just—I don’t know. Lost the moment.”

 

“Oh,” Minhyun nods, as if realizing something.

 

“And then when I made us dinner, Jinyoung came and he just broke up with his boyfriend. So I didn’t think it was appropriate. But I talked to Nayoung, and she said, well, I should just try during normal moments like these. So I wanted to, at lunch, earlier. But I chickened out because there were too many people.”

 

Minhyun hums, still looking at Jonghyun intensely. He pays close attention whenever Jonghyun is talking, and Jonghyun thinks it’s so adorable. Everyone says it’s the look of love—and Jonghyun agrees. He makes it look so obvious that he’s in love with Jonghyun. It’s how Jonghyun realized that Minhyun was in love with him when they were in university. He smiles at Minhyun.

 

“So you know... Now, I figure, hey, we’ve been with each other since we were 18, maybe you would appreciate it if I just did it simply without any cliché scenarios. Youngmin even gave me The Gear for good luck,” Jonghyun laughs.

 

“So, I don’t have the ring with me right now. I actually keep it at the office because you’d probably find it if I tried to hide it here,” Jonghyun shrugs, and Minhyun giggles at that. His ears are red and his eyes are wide. He looks... Stunning. Jonghyun thinks he can never get over the fascination.

 

“But you know what—fuck it. Minhyun, I know we’re practically a married couple already, but will you marry me?”

 

Minhyun lets out a loud, happy laugh, smiling widely as he nods. “Yeah! Of course I will! I can’t believe you’ve been trying so hard to ask me this one question, knowing I’d say yes anyways.”

 

“Hey! There’s absolutely no guarantee you would say yes,” Jonghyun huffs. “People get rejected all the time! I was 99% sure you’d say yes, but that 1%? Nobody knows what will happen!”

 

Minhyun pulls Jonghyun in for a kiss, and Jonghyun finally relaxes in his hold, relieved. When Minhyun pulls away, his whole face is red to the ears, and he’s still smiling widely.

 

“Kim Jonghyun, you know I love you, right? You’re so adorable.”

 

Jonghyun giggles. “I love you too, Hwang Minhyun.”

 

He should really, really send Nayoung some flowers.

 

***

 

(+ bonus)

 

“Sir,” Nayoung steps in Jonghyun’s office, pointing at her desk outside. A huge, heart-shaped balloon and a balloon that says “love” are floating above her desk. A huge basket of flowers, chocolates, and a single Jo Malone perfume is sitting on top of her desk. She holds up a tacky greeting card, probably printed off of pinterest, that has Jonghyun’s handwriting on it.

 

“Yes?” Jonghyun looks up from his work. Nayoung‘s expression doesn’t change one bit—still cold, emotionless, and slightly creepy. Jonghyun cringes a little inside, but smiles at her. “What is it?”

 

“Sir, I think you sent this to the wrong person.”

 

“What? No! I meant it for you, Nayoung. I really appreciate your hard work. I appreciate  _ you _ .”

 

“Sir, I’m married.“

 

“Okay, so maybe I meant it for Minhyun. But he already said yes, and I can’t cancel this order, so I had them send it to you. I can’t embarrass myself!” Jonghyun whisper-shouts. “Burn the card, Nayoung. I’ll write you a new one.”

 

“No way, this is funny!” Nayoung suddenly smiles at Jonghyun. Jonghyun feels his heart drop a little. Her smile, when directed at him, is scarier than her normal expression. There’s only been a few occasions when Nayoung would smile at Jonghyun, and they have never been good occasions.

 

“Nayoung,” Jonghyun stands up. “Do NOT tell anyone about what I wrote on that card.”

 

“Oh, please. ‘You are the love of my life, will you marry me?’ Sir, this is the second time you’ve asked me this. Maybe I should report you to HR—Seungkwan will have a field day with this.”

 

“Nayoung!” Jonghyun whisper-shouts, before sighing. “Burn it. Ignore the card and take everything else, they’re for you. I mean it, Nayoung. I appreciate you.”

 

Nayoung smirks. “It’s okay. I’m bisexual. I can learn to love you, Sir.”

 

“Lim Nayoung!”

**Author's Note:**

> you made it to the end. congratulations........
> 
> (my winkon twitter is private bcs i make juicy takes there but i have a public twitter @donghotwt that i barely use if you wanna hit me upside the head for this shit)


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